Virginia schools boss fired after teacher shot by six-year-old despite ‘warnings’
A school board in Virginia has voted to fire its district superintendent after a six-year-old pupil shot a teacher.
The Newport News School Board voted five-to-one to relieve George Parker III of his duties – but as part of a separation agreement, he’ll be paid more than $502,000 (£405,063) in severance – two years of his current base salary of $251,000 (£202,531).
It comes after Abigail Zwerner, 25, was shot in the hand and chest at Richneck Elementary School.
Read more:
US gun violence: 863 killed in just two weeks
Six-year-old boy shoots teacher during ‘altercation’ inside US classroom
Concerned teachers and employees, including Ms Zwerner, are said to have warned school administrators three times that the boy had a gun and was threatening other students.
The teacher also sent a text to a loved one, hours before she was shot, that “showed her frustration” at the school, a source told NBC.
Ms Zwerner’s lawyer Diane Toscano said administrators were “paralysed by apathy” as they failed to alert police or remove the boy.
She said on the day of the shooting they “could not be bothered” and told one employee to “wait the situation out, because the school day was almost over”.
An hour later, “Abby Zwerner was shot in front of those horrified kids, and the school and community are living the nightmare, all because the school administration failed to act”, Ms Toscano said.
She also revealed Ms Zwerner will sue the district.
Abigail Zwerner was shot in the hand and chest at Richneck Elementary School
‘Elephant in the room’
School board chairwoman Lisa Surles-Law said Mr Parker, who had been in the role for nearly five years, was a “capable division leader” but the decision was based “on the future trajectory and needs of our school division”.
One school board member, Gary Hunter, was “perplexed” by Mr Parker’s removal. He defended Mr Parker’s prior evaluations adding that “getting someone new is not going to fix the problem”.
“This problem is not a Newport News problem,” he said. “The big elephant in the room is the gun.”
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
‘How does a child have a gun?’
Student was under a care plan
Lawyers representing the boy’s family told reporters that his mother legally purchased the gun used in the shooting and that it was kept up high in the family home, and had a trigger lock that required a key.
They said the boy has an “acute disability” and was under a care plan “that included his mother or father attending school with him and accompanying him to class every day”.
The week of the shooting was the first when a parent was not in class with him, the family said.
They family’s lawyer James Ellenson said: “On behalf of the family of the child, we continue to pray for Ms Zwerner and wish her a complete and full recovery.
“Our hearts go out to all involved.”
Donald Trump has waded into the debate surrounding Sydney Sweeney’s jeans ad.
The American Eagle ad, which features the 27-year-old actress, who starred in the HBO series Euphoria and White Lotus, has the tagline “Sydney Sweeney has great jeans”.
It has sparked a debate in the US over race and Western beauty standards.
One of the Sydney Sweeney jeans ads. Pic: AP
In a Truth Social post, the US president described it as the “hottest ad out there”.
Hailing Sweeney as a “registered Republican”, he said the jeans are “flying off the shelves”, adding: “Go get ’em Sydney!”
Most of the criticism of the ad has centred on videos using the word “genes” instead of “jeans”, with one in which Sweeney says: “Genes are passed down from parents to offspring, often determining traits like hair colour, personality and even eye colour. My jeans are blue.”
Critics argued the play on words potentially promotes eugenics, a discredited theory that believed humanity could be improved through the selective breeding of certain traits.
But others have defended the ad, saying the critics are reading too much into its message.
The video appeared on American Eagle’s Facebook page and other social media channels, but is not part of the ad campaign.
In a statement on Instagram on Friday, American Eagle Outfitters said the campaign “is and always was about the jeans. Her jeans. Her story. We’ll continue to celebrate how everyone wears their AE jeans with confidence, their way. Great jeans look good on everyone.”
Stocks in American Eagle Outfitters jumped by 23.3% after Mr Trump’s intervention.
Read more from Sky News:
Kremlin urges caution in nuclear rhetoric following Trump’s submarine order
Still wanted: UK riots suspects pictured in new police appeal
In his Truth Social post, which he reposted three times to fix various typos, Mr Trump compared the ad with “woke” ones “on the other side of the ledger” – as he criticised other companies, as well as hitting out at Taylor Swift.
“The tide has seriously turned – Being WOKE is for losers, being Republican is what you want to be,” he wrote.
Sky News has contacted Sweeney’s agent for comment.
Police in Tennessee have discovered 14 improvised explosive devices in a man’s home as they were arresting him, the local sheriff’s office said.
Officers were executing a warrant in the home of Kevin Wade O’Neal in Old Fort, about 45 miles (70km) east of Chattanooga, after he had threatened to kill public officials and law enforcement personnel in Polk County.
After arresting the 54-year-old, officers noticed “something smouldering” in the bedroom where he was found.
Kevin Wade O’Neal. Pic: Polk County Sheriff’s Office
On closer inspection, they discovered an improvised explosive device and evacuated the house until bomb squad officers arrived at the scene.
Fourteen devices were found inside the property – none of which detonated.
Improvised explosive devices were found in Kevin Wade O’Neal’s home. Pic: Polk County Sheriff’s Office
Kevin Wade O’Neal’s home in Old Fort, Tennessee. Pic: Polk County Sheriff’s Office
O’Neal was charged with 11 counts of attempted first-degree murder, corresponding to nine officers and two other people inside the property when the suspect tried to detonate the devices.
He also faces 14 counts of prohibited weapons and one count of possession of explosive components.
Read more from Sky News:
World champion sprinter arrested for ‘assaulting boyfriend’
Trump says “nobody has asked” him to pardon Maxwell
O’Neal is being held at the Polk County jail and his bond is yet to be determined.
-
Sports3 years ago‘Storybook stuff’: Inside the night Bryce Harper sent the Phillies to the World Series
-
Sports1 year agoStory injured on diving stop, exits Red Sox game
-
Sports2 years agoGame 1 of WS least-watched in recorded history
-
Sports2 years agoMLB Rank 2023: Ranking baseball’s top 100 players
-
Sports4 years ago
Team Europe easily wins 4th straight Laver Cup
-
Sports2 years agoButton battles heat exhaustion in NASCAR debut
-
Environment2 years agoJapan and South Korea have a lot at stake in a free and open South China Sea
-
Environment2 years agoGame-changing Lectric XPedition launched as affordable electric cargo bike